Exercise 1 · The Wall as a Canvas for Ornament

Part I · Observation and Description

1.1 · The Ishtar Gate, Babylon (c. 575 BCE): observe the golden and white rows of animals—bulls and dragons—arranged against the dark blue glazed brick. How do the figures, distributed evenly across the wall, enhance the sense of monumentality? What effect is created when the relief does not fight against the wall but merges completely with its plane?

1.2 · Governor's Palace, Uxmal (900–1000 CE): look at the upper frieze, covered with geometric carvings, masks, and zigzag lines. How does this dense stone relief create a “carpet” effect on the wall?

1.3 · Chan Chan, Peru (900–1470 CE): look at the stylized bird and fish friezes and horizontal bands carved into the adobe wall. How does a single-color clay surface create a lively ornamental rhythm through light and shadow alone?

1.4 · Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi (1389–1399): the massive walls are covered with geometric grids of glazed tiles and Arabic inscriptions. How does this brilliant ornamental casing transform the heavy brick structure?

1.5 · Certosa di Pavia (1473–1507): nearly every centimeter of this facade is covered with reliefs, medallions, ornamental bands, and niches. How does this horror vacui—the fear of empty space—affect the overall perception of the building?

Part II · Comparison. Compare Babylon's blue glazed wall, the clay reliefs of Chan Chan, and the Timurid mosaic of Yasawi. Although created on different continents and with different materials, what common idea unites them? How does the wall lose its “heavy construction” look and become an artistic surface?

Part III · Conclusion. Why did architects of different epochs choose to cover the wall completely with ornament rather than leave it bare? How does the ornamental surface change the psychological and aesthetic impact on the viewer, turning an architectural monument into a monumental work of art?

Exercise 2 · From Industrial Construction to a Work of Art

Objective: through three buildings of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, to analyze how covering the wall entirely with ornament turns the facade into a unified artistic organism.

Part I · Observation

2.1 · The Raichle Palace (1903–1904): observe the harmony of the light walls, orange contours, and blue ornament. How do architectural volume and colorful ceramic decor blend in the central part of the facade? What role do the bands around the upper facade and the windows play in enriching the wall?

2.2 · The Menier Chocolate Factory (1865): observe the rhombic ornament assembled from multicolored bricks and ceramic tiles. How does this strict yet colorful grid create a unified, “fabric-like” surface?

2.3 · Majolica House (1898–1899): notice the soft, dynamic lines of pink flowers and green stems covering the wall. How does this majolica surface turn a flat wall into a living floral panel?

Part II · Comparison. Compare the geometric brick decor of the Menier factory with the free-flowing floral motifs of the Majolica House. One is an industrial structure, the other a residential building—what common approach do they share in covering the wall surface?

Part III · Conclusion. Why did covering the entire wall with ornament become a signature of architects of this era? How does Art Nouveau ornament turn a facade from a functional wall into a brilliant bearer of the era's artistic imagination?

Exercise 3 · The Face and Language of the Dome

Objective: through domes of different epochs and cultures—Timurid and Catalan Modernisme—to show that the external appearance of a dome depends almost entirely on its ornamental and color solution.

Part I · Observation

3.1 · Shah-i-Zinda, Samarkand: how does the dark blue, light blue, and white geometric mosaic change the perception of the dome's heavy mass? Compare it with the plainer brick dome nearby—what effect does complex ornament create for a viewer from a distance?

3.2 · Hospital de Sant Pau, Barcelona: the dome is covered with scaled, rounded tiles. How does the alternation of light beige and brown create a soft, woven-carpet effect on the curved volume? How do the arcade and plant frieze at the base connect the dome with the structure below?

3.3 · Casa Lleó Morera, Barcelona: look at the green and red floral motifs and the sculpted rounded forms of the lower part. How does the synthesis of plant ornament and vivid color affect the silhouette? Even though this is a chimney top or turret, how does ornament turn it into architectural sculpture?

Part II · Dialogue Between Cultures. Compare the geometric mosaic of Samarkand with the ceramic and relief decor of Catalan Modernisme. Despite different epochs and technologies, what common artistic task do these ornaments serve on the dome?

Part III · Conclusion. Why can we not fully understand a dome's artistic appearance without taking its ornament into account? How does ornament turn a dome from a simple engineering roof into the building's main visual accent and artistic dominant?

Exercise 4 · Stylistic Analysis of Tower Ornament and Structure

Objective: through four towers from Western European Gothic and Islamic architecture, to analyze how ornament transforms the heavy mass of a tower into a refined artistic dominant.

Part I · Observation

4.1 · Giotto's Campanile: how does the alternation of white, green, and pink marble change the impression of the tower's weight and emphasize its tiered verticality? Compare the closed lower storeys with the wide double and triple arched openings of the upper tiers—how does the open-work lighten the stone structure?

4.2 · Palace of Westminster: how do the soaring lines, pointed pinnacles, and Gothic details create an impression of infinity and rigor? What warmth and variety do the carved reliefs and the decor around the clock add to the architectural mass?

4.3 · Kalyan Minaret, Bukhara (1127): how do the relief brick masonry, geometric grids, and a single turquoise band create visual dynamics on the cylindrical shaft? How does the muqarnas (stalactite) frieze at the top crown the long shaft?

4.4 · Imam Reza Shrine (16th century): how does the turquoise, blue, and golden tile mosaic, shimmering in sunlight, change the texture of the minaret? How do the open-work balconies and multicolored ornament combine into a ceremonial whole?

Part II · Comparison. Compare the stone texture and relief decor of the Italian and English Gothic towers with the brick and glazed tile ornament of the minarets of Bukhara and Mashhad. Despite regional differences, what common visual task does ornament solve on each?

Part III · Conclusion. Why would a tower without ornament remain a simple engineering column? How does ornament turn a tower into a dynamic architectural masterpiece carrying the spirituality and aesthetics of its era?

Exercise 5 · The Triumph of Ornament in Art Nouveau Towers

Objective: to analyze how Art Nouveau turned turrets from structural attachments into emotionally powerful, sculptural, and colorful artistic dominants.

Part I · Observation

5.1 · Casa Lleó Morera: the cylindrical body is covered with small green glazed tiles, and its crown alternates red and green. How do these floral, natural motifs change the tower from a rigid stone structure into a living organism? What role does the contrast between heavy ceramics and the light, curving iron decor of the middle ring play?

5.2 · Park Güell, Porter's Lodge: the wavy roof and tower are covered with broken ceramic tiles (trencadís). How does this technique create a shimmering, moving surface in sunlight? How does the cross at the top crown this fairy-tale composition?

Part II · Comparison. Compare the strictly rhythmic tile-covered tower of Lleó Morera with the organic, wavy forms of Park Güell. Despite different silhouettes, how does ornament become an end in itself and the main identity of the building?

Part III · Conclusion. Why did the decorative treatment of towers take on such importance in the Art Nouveau period? How does Catalan Modernisme make ornament and color the guiding force of form, so that the tower becomes the ultimate expression of the era's artistic fantasy and sculptural freedom?

Exercise 6 · The Decorative Completion of Roof Edges and Ridges

Objective: through roof details from Ancient Greece, the European Gothic/Renaissance tradition, and American Beaux-Arts, to analyze how roof ornament becomes a building's visual peak and stylistic signature.

Part I · Observation

6.1 · Classical Greek acroteria: how do the stylized palmettes (anthemia) placed along the ridge and corners create a clear, harmonious contour against the sky? What visual role does the connection between the rows of tiles and the decorative verticals above them play?

6.2 · Toulouse cornice and cresting: how does the relief band of spiral leaves and floral decor rising above the brickwork change the strict horizontal line of the roof?

6.3 · Philadelphia Museum of Art: the blue tile roof is adorned with golden anthemia and lion heads. How does this colorful, monumental solution enhance the building's presence and grandeur?

Part II · A Bridge Between Epochs. Compare the Greek acroteria with the neoclassical roof in Philadelphia. Though separated by millennia, what common ancient principle determined their similar ornament on the roof ridge?

Part III · Conclusion. Why did architects of different epochs attach such importance to the roof edge? How does the ornamental completion of the roof turn a protective construction into a perfected architectural peak directed toward the sky?

Exercise 7 · Polychromy of Colored Tiles and Visual Mood

Objective: by comparing an imperial dome church tower (c. 1700–1850) with a tall, slender Hungarian Neo-Gothic roof, to analyze the similarities, differences, and the artistic mood each creates.

Part I · Observation

7.1 · Imperial dome church tower: observe the rounded dome covered with a diagonal grid of green, red, and white glazed tiles. How does this dense geometric ornament affect its massive, tranquil silhouette? What emotional background does this low, compact, rounded form evoke?

7.2 · Hungarian Neo-Gothic roof: notice the tall, pointed roof with multicolored tile ornament and a cross directed toward the sky. How does this strong vertical impulse change the character of the structure? How does the glittering peak pierce the sky, and what does it add to the city's skyline?

Part II · Similarities and Differences

Similarities: both use polychrome glazed tiles to create a geometric ornamental grid on the roof. What common aesthetic goal do they share?

Differences: compare the round, domed form with the tall, pointed Neo-Gothic one. How does the form of the construction change the perception of the colored ornament?